Need recommendations for thawing ribeyes quickly!

[meatwhisperer]

I am trying to thaw 3 ribeyes to cook this evening.  I didn't put them out in time for them to thaw.  I don't want to microwave them, unless absolutely have no other choice.  It's not warm enough outside to put them out there for a little while.  I thought about putting them in the oven on the lowest setting, but I don't want them to cook at all.  

Right now, I have them in ziploc bags with Allegro marinade.  I'm trying to thaw and marinate at the same time.  Has anyone done this?  Does it work?  Any better suggestions.  I prefer to marinate my steaks at least 3-4 hours, so I don't have time for separate thaw and marinate.

 

[big deck bb-jr]

I saw a friend do this and it worked well. He had one of those baskets to out dishes in after hand washing them (you coul find something to substitute) an turned it upside down in the kitchen sink. Boil water and pour into the sink (with stopper in, of course). While your water is boiling you could foil wrap your steaks with a little marinade. You pour the boiling water into the sink and the wire rack holds your steaks. Cover the sink with foil. The idea is to let the steam from the boiling water thaw the steak, and you want to keep as much steam as possible in the sink, hence the covering of the sink with foil. Hope this all makes sense, and I hope it helps.

 

[jerseydrew]

i would throw it in the micro for a little bit till they are not hard as a rock. then leave them on the counter till dinner time. i do it all the time and i also hate the micro defrost. i only use the micro to get the hard chill out then let it go the rest of the way naturally 

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Just a thought but you may let them just set with the marinade until your ready to cook, depending on just how long you have.... I did this minus the marinade not but a month ago and did a reverse sear on the smoker. May have just been one of the best steaks I have ever done. WHB.

 

[meatwhisperer]

WaterinHole.....what do you mean by "reverse sear."  Sorry, I'm very new at smoking.

 

[jerseydrew]

 
WaterinHole.....what do you mean by "reverse sear."  Sorry, I'm very new at smoking.

probably means do a low a slow cook till about 15 degrees or so before your personal preference for doneness then throw on a super hot gril or cast iron skillet to put the sear on the outside after the cooking is done. this does work great but i still like the meat to be mostly thawed to do this. 

 

[meatwhisperer]

Thanks, everyone.  They are thawing out a little bit. I have a 2-3 more hours before I need to put them on the smoker, hopefully they will be thawed by then.

 

[meatwhisperer]

Ahhhhh!!!  Thanks, jerseydrew!

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

No need to be sorry, I've been into smokin for 6+ yrs and still learn somethin new each time.... What I mean by a reverse sear is a lot of steaks, say like in your restaurants or family bbq will at first sear the steak before cooking it. A reverse sear means ya smoke your steak for however long, depending on cut, thickness, etc. then at the end of the smoke ya sear the steak... This get the good smoke flavor in the meat, cause if ya sear first then the meat can't absorb the smoke as much.. Drop me a line if any more questions, hope this helps and keep smokin.... WHB

 

[noboundaries]

Like you I don't like using the microwave to thaw items.  

Won't help you now but here's something to consider for the future.  There is a metal "quick thawing tray" that works great.  I received one years ago and use it often, mostly for chicken breasts and fish because I usually buy my beef and pork fresh.  I have used it for steaks too in the past when we used to buy them in bulk at Costco and stick them in the freezer.

The trays are something like $25 on Amazon.  Do a search and read the description.  Works just like it says and can thaw a steak in 30 minutes. I often run mine under hot water first to speed things along especially if I'm loading it up.  Thicker items take longer but I have thawed a 2" chuck roast in less than 90 minutes.            

 

[ncage]

I generally make a water bath in the sink & put a small trickle  of water going into the sink. I just use plain cold water. While its not as fast as the micro it defrost them pretty dang fast

 

[guruatbol]

A sink of luke warm water is your friend.  I found that if you put frozen meat in a zip lock bag with the marinade and squeeze the air out and put them into a sink of water, they will thaw and marinade at the same time and it only takes an hour of so to thaw.

We have become lazy and thaw just about everything this way.  I also brine my chicken breasts from frozen in a salt water brine.  If they are slightly icy in the middle when they go on the gas grill no biggie!  They turn out wonderful and I don't have to worry if I took something out of the freezer or not.

The larger cuts of beef like roasts I usually will thaw over night or cook from frozen in the crock pot.  Fish, Chicken, pork chops, steaks and ribs all get this treatment because I always forget to take them out and I am lazy.

Fish is very quick though and you have to make sure there is no way for the water to get inside the bag.  Normally our fish is vacuum sealed so I just leave it in the package and in the water it goes.  You don't want hot water, it will start the cooking process and makes things tough.

Mel

 

[meatwhisperer]

Thanks!  They are thawed out now!  I am just waiting for the Boudin to get close to being done, so I can put the steaks on!  This forum is awesome!

 

[goinforbroke]

I say throw them on the grille frozen...

 

[dward51]

I'm a little late to the party, but for future reference.....

The metal "quick thaw" trays are just aluminum heat sinks.  If you don't have one, take your largest and thickest aluminum cookie pan or cooking pan and use it.  If it is a large round cooking pan that has non stick on the inside, flip it over and use the anodized outside.  Put the flattest part of the meat you want to thaw on the metal and it will thaw a lot quicker than otherwise.  Don't just sit the pan on the counter as you want air flow around it to help carry away the cold that is wicked off by the aluminum.  If you need to, sit the pan on a cooling rack to get the air space under it.

The quick thaw trays are usually 1/4" thick aluminum plates with heat sink like fins on the underside for more surface area to wick away the cold and shed it out to the air.  Aluminum is a great conductor of heat, and inversely, cold.

 

[nato316ca]

The best way I find to thaw meat out quick is to put it in a sink of cold water, wrapped of course. Make sure water can't get in or you'll be disappointed. I have never seen these aluminum trays that dward51 and noboundaries are talking about, but it does sound better than putting the meat in the water. I will have to look into them. Normally when I want to defrost something, I usually take it out two days in advance and let it defrost in the fridge, slowly. It gives you best results, and it can also save you 50 cents on your power bill as it helps cool the fridge.  LOL

 

[dward51]

Here are two demo video's for two of the metal "defrosting trays".  The second video really gives a good idea of how quick these things work.

This one is more of real world side by side comparison of a cookie sheet, wooden cutting block and defrosting tray.  I love mom's "comment" about this (PG-13 rated)!


This one compares the black tray from the above video to the thicker aluminum type like I had.  This is pretty impressive IMO (especially if you consider how the cookie tray and wood cutting board performed against that black tray).  There is no audio to this one and the IR heat gun is set to degrees C* and not F*.

 

 

[palladini]

I would and do use the microwave to defrost foods very quickly.  I start out with food right out of the freezer, put it on a plate and then into the Microwave.  I set it for about 4 to 5 minutes on Power setting 3 or 30% power, then when done, turn over and do half that time I did before on power 4 then when that is done, take out and set on the counter for an hour and it is defrosted.

 

[chef jimmyj]

It has been shown that COLD running water and the convection it creates thaws meat FAR faster than placing the meat in a pot of freshly boiled water, on the counter in a 75° room or even in a 350° Oven. Not to mention while the risks are usually low of getting food poisoning with following up the Warm/Hot Defrost with a proper cooking, there is still a risk and all the things you guys are doing have potential dangers. 

I realize S#!T happens and meat can not be properly defrosted but these should be few and far between and Extra precautions need to be taken in the final cook. Use only high heat cooking methods, Reverse Sear, in this situation, is Risky and Smoking Low and Slow is OUT OF THE QUESTION! 

For the benefit of our many new / inexperience members, the staff of SMF only recognize and encourage Safe thawing methods...JJ

1)Thaw under Refrigeration

2)Thaw in a container of Cold Running Water. The container must be large enough to hold and keep the meat submerged. Use a weight if needed.

3)Thaw in the Microwave. This is the least preferred method because large pieces of meat will begin to cook.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.... http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...83-a04e-5123713fe406/Big_Thaw.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

 

[little smokey]

 
It has been shown that COLD running water and the convection it creates thaws meat FAR faster than placing the meat in a pot of freshly boiled water, on the counter in a 75° room or even in a 350° Oven. Not to mention while the risks are usually low of getting food poisoning with following up the Warm/Hot Defrost with a proper cooking, there is still a risk and all the things you guys are doing have potential dangers. 

I realize S#!T happens and meat can not be properly defrosted but these should be few and far between and Extra precautions need to be taken in the final cook. Use only high heat cooking methods, Smoking Low and Slow is OUT OF THE QUESTION! 

For the benefit of our many new / inexperience members, the staff of SMF only recognize and encourage Safe thawing methods...JJ

1)Thaw under Refrigeration

2)Thaw in a container of Cold Running Water. The container must be large enough to hold and keep the meat submerged. Use a weight if needed.

3)Thaw in the Microwave. This is the least preferred method because large pieces of meat will begin to cook.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.... http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...83-a04e-5123713fe406/Big_Thaw.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

ChefJimmyJ has hit it right on the nose there are no other safe ways or shortcuts.  Running water method is fast and safe I have used it for whole chickens and roasts safely.